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Sentential Subject Constraint

SYNTAX: one of the constraints on movement proposed by Ross (1967). It states that

	No element dominated by an S may be moved 
        out of that S if that S is dominated by 
        an NP which itself is immediately 
        dominated by S,

and is meant to capture the fact that categories cannot be moved out of a sentential subject. EXAMPLE: consider (i) and (ii), both containing a sentential subject (the for-clause and the that-clause respectively).

(i)  [for Haarhuis to beat Becker] is easy
(ii) [that Haarhuis beat Becker] pleased us

The Sentential Subject Constraint now correctly predicts that wh-movement of Becker out of the sentential subject leads to ungrammaticality:

(i')  *	Who is [for Haarhuis to beat t] easy?
(ii') *	Who did [that Haarhuis beat t] please us?

The Sentential Subject Constraint falls under the Subject Condition of Huang's (1982) Condition on Extraction Domain.

LIT.

Huang, James (1982)
Ross, J.R. (1967)